Good afternoon Dungog, Councillor Liam Ley here bringing you this week's video message.
It won't be too long; just a few things to go over. We had our council meeting just this week for February. A few things came out of that. The big thing for me was the motion that I put forward, and that's for a dedicated holiday and caravan park in Dungog. I'm happy to say that this motion passed, so this is a huge step forward, and it's really allowing us to open an expression of interest again and try to attract private investors to the town and bring that much needed accommodation and asset to this town. We all know that Dungog is on the rise and we have these amazing events now. We have what the Common is doing: we have the Dungog Show, the Dungog Rodeo, and Sculptures on the Farm, which is getting so big this year they've had to move location, and the funding boost is incredible to see. There's Ride Dungog, with their amazing tracks, and Run Dungog. And there are so many other events, there are too many to list.
We also have this really strong arts and music scene that's really starting to thrive here too, you know, and I think we can do a lot more. The issue we have here is that where we're located is a very tourist hot spot, the Hunter Valley in general. And so we see where our neighbouring councils are really investing heavily in tourism. And if we want to stay competitive, we have to step up too and we have to start trying to get this investment here in Dungog Shire as well. And so this is the idea behind the well designed holiday and caravan park. And it isn't just providing accommodation for Dungog Shire, but it can actually become a destination in itself, and really encourage these visitors to come and hopefully pick us over other locations, stay longer, spend more money, support our economy, all those good things. So I guess this really came about from really listening to small business, and I really did listen to small business, and I really understand the concerns there. And I know right now is a really hard time for small businesses. We've seen a lot close in Dungog shire over the last two years, and I know that there are a lot more that are struggling right now. And so this is something that council can do with our limited budget, it doesn't mean we can't still do things. This is something that we can do and hopefully bring some change and relief and hopefully get Dungog shire booming, you know.
I think what's important to remember, too, is that what Dungog Shire has over some other places in the state is our prime location. We're three hours from Sydney, we're an hour from Newcastle, we have Central Coast and other major regional towns within an hour of Dungog, so we have access. Not to mention that Newcastle International Airport is opening this year as well. So I think this motion really sends a clear message that Dungog is open for business. We do back our business, and we are ready to grow. Now that this motion has passed, I'll be pushing for real action, and I hope Dungog can really get it off the ground this time, and hopefully, we can make it happen. So that's enough of that. But if you do want to read the motion, you can jump onto my Facebook page, or you can go onto the council website and the minutes for the agenda are there as well.
Another exciting thing that I did last year was the dog park. Stage one is now complete. That was the community feedback section of this project. I just want to say that you guys absolutely smashed it. I think we had about 200 inputs of information from the community, which, for Dungog, is very good! This level of engagement is absolutely incredible, but more importantly, it tells Council what you guys want. It really helps us design and pick a location, and hopefully, it aligns with what the community actually wants. So your part plays a massive role in this project and thank you very much.
Another thing that's up, and although probably not as exciting as a dog park, but arguably much more important, is the community feedback for the Clarence Town Structure Plan and Streetscape Master Plan. This is a huge document, and it's up for public exhibition right now until 12th of March. And again, we really need your input to finalise this before it goes back to council for us to vote on and make decisions. You can view this plan on the Council's website, and we've also posted direct links on the Facebook page. But if you do want to come and speak face to face, this Saturday 22nd of February at the Clarence Town Markets, there'll be a team there to talk about this and get your feedback from 9am to 12pm at the Clarence Town Markets, and then from 1pm to 4pm in front of the Clarence Town IGA.
We'll then have a second session on Tuesday 4th March, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at the Clarence Town School of Arts. So again, it's a really important project that you can provide public feedback, so please get on there and have your say on that as well.
Speaking of community feedback, there's one more study coming and that's for Clarence Town again, and that's the Floody Study. So the goal of this study is to really improve Council's understanding of flood risks and ensure better planning for the future. Again, we need your say because you find that the people who have the best insight and the best knowledge are the people who actually live on the farm, not necessarily the people coming from out of town to do these flood studies, especially if you've lived on the property for generations. There's no one better than you to know what your property is going to do. It is really important that you put this knowledge and experience and submit that to council because it's really invaluable, and it's really going to help Council accurately and effectively complete this study. So that'll be going live today. We'll be posting a survey both on Facebook and the Council's website. And again, if you want to talk face to face, you can come up to the Clarence Town Structure Plan information sessions and chat about the flood plan as well. This survey will remain open until 12 March so you have a bit of time but please share your thoughts.
If you'd like any updates on the roads, jump onto the Facebook page for the latest updates. There is a lot going on there as well.
Thanks very much and have a good week.
